Chapter 2: The Traditional Desktop

33

The desktop, with its tiny buttons and thin bars,

works best with a keyboard and mouse. If youre
using Windows on a touchscreen tablet, youll
probably want to buy a portable mouse and keyboard for desktop work.
The Windows 8 desktop will run nearly all the
Windows programs that ran on your old Windows XP,
Windows Vista, or Windows 7 computer. Exceptions
are antivirus programs, security suites, and some utility programs. Those dont usually transfer well from
one Windows version to another.

Touching the Desktop

on a Touchscreen
Fingers work well for tapping the Start screens
extra-large tiles. And if you grimace enough, your
touchscreens touch controls will still work on the
desktops tiny buttons and thin borders. Heres
how to control the desktop with your fingers:

Select: To select something on the desktop, tap
it with a fingertip; the pad of your finger may be
too large.

Double-click: To double-click something, tap it
twice. Again, your fingertip works best.

Right-click: To right-click an item, press your
fingertip gently on it and wait for a small square
to appear onscreen. When the square appears,
remove your finger, and the pop-up menu stays
on the screen. Then you can tap your desired
option on the menu.
If your fingertip seems too wide for delicate desktop
window maneuvers, you may yearn for an old-fashioned

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